When a person speaks in a way that seems illogical or disconnected, saying something like, “The tree wore a hat of silly whispers,” it can be confusing and alarming for everyone involved. While these sentences don’t seem to make any sense, they are a common occurrence for many individuals who are struggling with a thought disorder. These conditions can profoundly impact the organization, content, and flow of a person’s thoughts and speech, encompassing a spectrum of mental health challenges that can impair cognitive functioning and interpersonal interactions.
Today, the compassionate experts at Hooked on Hope Mental Health are delving into the diverse types of thought disorders, detailing their unique symptoms and how they can affect a person’s life. This guide will provide common examples of thought disorders and explain how professional mental health experts in Atlanta, GA, can effectively treat them, offering a pathway toward clarity and healing.
What Is a Thought Disorder?
A thought disorder refers to a disruption in a person’s usual pattern of thinking that is often observed in individuals with various mental health conditions. At its core, a thought disorder is not a diagnosis in itself, but rather a symptom. It entails abnormalities in the coherence, organization, and logical progression of a person’s thoughts. These irregularities are expressed as disruptions in the formation and expression of ideas, often impairing communication and making it difficult for a person to engage in meaningful conversations or relationships.
These disruptions can manifest in numerous ways. They might appear as loose associations, where a person’s thoughts jump from one unrelated topic to another. They might be a form of tangentiality, where a person’s responses to questions are off-topic and never quite get back to the main point. Or they could present as complete incoherence, where the person’s speech is a jumble of words without any logical flow.
These abnormalities reflect an underlying problem associated with cognition and can negatively impact a person’s ability to effectively share their ideas and engage in meaningful conversations. For a person experiencing a thought disorder, it can feel like their mind is moving at a different speed or following a completely different set of rules from the rest of the world. For their loved ones, it can be deeply frustrating and confusing, as communication becomes difficult and the person they care about seems to be lost inside their own mind.
A formal diagnosis of a thought disorder is made when these symptoms are consistent and severe enough to significantly impair a person’s life. It is not about a single moment of being distracted or saying something silly, but rather a persistent pattern that disrupts their ability to function.
Common Types of Thought Disorders
As a provider of comprehensive mental health treatment, our team at Hooked on Hope Mental Health comes across people with a wide range of mental health problems. The concept of thought disorders first appeared in scientific literature around the 1980s, when it was initially described as a symptom of schizophrenia. Since then, it has been recognized as a symptom present in other mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, major depression, and even some cases of post-traumatic stress disorder. While it is common for individuals to display some of the symptoms of a thought disorder occasionally, a diagnosis is not made until these symptoms negatively and consistently affect a person’s ability to communicate and function.
Here are some common examples and types of thought disorders, with a focus on making them easy to understand.
Alogia
Also known as poverty of thought, alogia is a thought disorder characterized by very brief and unelaborated responses to questions. People with this type of thought disorder may seem to have a restricted flow of ideas, making them appear withdrawn or uninterested in conversation. They may rarely speak unless prompted, and their answers often lack the detail and richness that is expected in a normal conversation. This can be particularly difficult for their loved ones, who may interpret their silence as a sign of being angry or unengaged. Alogia is often seen in individuals with schizophrenia, where it can be a prominent “negative symptom,” meaning it is a deficit in normal functioning.
Blocking
When a person seems unable to complete their thought because of constant pauses or a sudden interruption in their train of thought, they are likely experiencing blocking. A person might be in the middle of a sentence and abruptly stop, unable to remember what they were going to say next. This can be followed by a long silence before they finally resume their thought, often on a completely different topic. For the individual experiencing it, this can feel like their mind has been “turned off” or that their thoughts are being taken from them. This can be a very distressing symptom.
Circumstantiality and Tangentiality
Circumstantial speech is a type of thought disorder where a person’s speech is overly superfluous and roundabout. The speaker will go off on irrelevant tangents, providing unnecessary details, before eventually returning to the main point of the story. While this can be a common trait in some people, for a person with a thought disorder, it is an uncontrolled and distracting symptom. Tangential thinking, on the other hand, involves abrupt changes in subject matter that are completely unrelated to the initial topic. A tangential thinker might start talking about their day and then suddenly begin discussing the weather on a different continent with no logical connection between the two. Unlike circumstantiality, they rarely, if ever, come back to the original topic, making it difficult to follow their train of thought.
Clanging or Clang Association
A person with a clanging thought process makes word choices based on the sound of the word rather than the meaning. They may rely on using rhymes, alliterations, or puns and create sentences that do not make sense. For example, a person might say, “The fox walked on a box in the docks with a clock.” The sentence sounds poetic, but it lacks any logical meaning. A clanging thought process is a common symptom of mania in bipolar disorder, where the person’s thoughts are moving so fast that they latch onto the sound of a word to connect ideas instead of its meaning.
Concrete Thinking
Individuals with this thought disorder struggle with abstract reasoning and instead rely heavily on literal and concrete interpretations of information. They have a hard time understanding metaphors, irony, or analogies. If you tell a person with concrete thinking that it’s “raining cats and dogs,” they might actually look outside for animals falling from the sky. This is not a malicious or intentional behavior; it is a neurological symptom. This type of thinking is often seen in conditions like autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and some forms of dementia.
Delusional Thinking
Individuals who experience delusional thought disorders hold false beliefs that are resistant to reasoning, evidence, or logic. These beliefs can be incredibly strong and can range from paranoid delusions (the belief that they are being chased or persecuted) to grandiose delusions (an exaggerated sense of self-importance or power, such as believing they are a famous celebrity or a religious figure). For the person experiencing it, the delusion is their reality, and it can be terrifying and isolating.
Disorganized Thinking (Formal Thought Disorder, or FTD)
Also referred to as disordered thinking or a disorganized thought process, disorganized thinking occurs in individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, where a person displays disjointed, incoherent, and an illogical thought process. This can make it incredibly difficult for a person to form a single, coherent idea. Typical disorganized thinking examples and symptoms include tangentiality (deviating off-topic), derailment (loose associations), and thought blocking (a sudden interruption of thought). This type of thinking is at the heart of many types of thought disorders and is a hallmark symptom of many serious mental illnesses.
Echolalia and Echopraxia
People experiencing echolalia will compulsively repeat other people’s words or phrases. They may repeat the last word of a sentence that was just spoken to them or echo back entire phrases, often in a flat or robotic tone. Echopraxia is a related condition where individuals mimic the movements and gestures of others. A person with echopraxia might copy the way another person is sitting or walk with the same gait. Both of these are involuntary behaviors and can be very disorienting for the individual experiencing them.
Flight of Ideas
Common in bipolar disorder, flight of ideas refers to a rapid and continuous flow of thoughts that are only loosely connected, making it difficult for the individual to maintain a coherent conversation. A person might jump from one topic to the next without any clear transition, and their words may come out so quickly that it’s hard to understand what they are saying. For the person experiencing it, their mind is racing, and they feel like they have to get all the thoughts out as fast as possible. This can be a sign of mania or hypomania.
Incoherence
Also referred to as “word salad” or an incoherent thought process, this disorganized thinking example affects the order of words and semantics, making it difficult for the individual to create consistent speech. The words themselves are often real, but they are put together in a way that is grammatically and logically incorrect, making the speech completely unintelligible. The person may sound like they are speaking a foreign language, but in reality, they are struggling with a severe disruption in their thinking.
Neologism
Also referred to as a neologism thought process, a person who struggles with neologism will often create new words or expressions when they talk. These words have no meaning to anyone else, but for the person using them, they have a very specific, personal meaning. This can make it difficult for others to understand what the person is trying to say, leading to isolation and frustration for everyone involved.
Perseveration Thought Process
Also referred to as a preservative thought process, this type of thought disorder refers to the repetition of words or topics excessively and obsessively. A person might get stuck on a single idea or phrase and repeat it over and over again, regardless of the context of the conversation. This can be very frustrating for a loved one trying to communicate with them, as it is impossible to move the conversation forward.
Pressure of Speech
A person with pressure of speech problems will speak at a faster rate and often in a higher volume. The speech may be difficult to understand because it is so fast, and the person may feel compelled to keep talking without stopping. It can be difficult to get a word in with this person, as they will often interrupt others or simply not pause to let them speak. This is a common symptom of mania and can be very distressing for the person experiencing it.
Thought Broadcasting
Also associated with schizophrenia, this thought disorder example involves the conviction that one’s thoughts are being broadcasted aloud so people around can hear them. The person may believe that their private thoughts are being shouted from the rooftops and that everyone knows what they are thinking. This can lead to a great deal of anxiety, paranoia, and a desire to isolate from others.
Thought Insertion and Withdrawal
Common in individuals with schizophrenia, these involve the belief that thoughts are being embedded into one’s mind (insertion) or forcibly removed from one’s mind (withdrawal) by external forces or entities. A person might believe that a person on the street or an invisible force is putting thoughts into their head, which can lead to a great deal of distress and confusion.
Word Approximations
This thought disorder refers to the abnormal and incorrect use of words in the middle of sentences. A person may substitute a word with a similar-sounding or related word, but the meaning of the sentence is lost. This is different from a neologism because the word they are using is a real word, but it is being used incorrectly in the context of the sentence.
Understanding these various types of thought disorders is essential for mental health professionals working in treatment facilities, as it enables individualized assessment, diagnosis, and interventions to address the specific cognitive disturbances exhibited by clients. If your loved one is exhibiting signs of a mental health disorder, compassionate and professional help is available.
Mental Health Treatment in Atlanta
Navigating the complexities of thought disorders requires expert care and a compassionate approach. At Hooked on Hope Mental Health in Atlanta, GA, we understand the challenges you and your loved ones are facing. We offer a full spectrum of mental health treatment in Atlanta, designed to provide the right level of support for your needs.
Our treatment approach is rooted in a person-centered philosophy, meaning that we tailor our care to meet the unique needs of each individual. We use evidence-based therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), to help individuals challenge and change the thought patterns that are causing them distress. We also provide psychoeducation to help a person and their family understand their condition and develop effective coping strategies.
For those who need a higher level of care, our outpatient program provide a safe and structured environment where a person can focus on their healing while still maintaining their daily life. Our dual diagnosis treatment is also available for those who are struggling with both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, providing integrated care that addresses both conditions simultaneously.
If you or a loved one is struggling with a thought disorder, you are not alone. There is hope, and a path to healing is waiting for you. Contact Hooked on Hope Mental Health in Atlanta, GA, today at 470-287-1927 or fill out our online contact form to learn more about our comprehensive mental health treatment in Atlanta and begin your journey toward recovery.
Types of Thought Disorders Frequently Asked Questions
What is a thought disorder?
A thought disorder is a disruption in a person’s usual pattern of thinking and communication. It is not a formal diagnosis but a symptom of many mental health conditions, and it can affect the logical flow, organization, and content of a person’s thoughts and speech.
What are some common examples of thought disorders?
Common examples include loose associations (derailment), tangential speech (going off-topic), incoherence (word salad), and thought broadcasting (the belief that one’s thoughts are being heard by others).
Can a person with a thought disorder recover?
Yes, a person with a thought disorder can absolutely recover and improve their quality of life. The condition is a symptom of an underlying mental health issue, and with the right diagnosis and treatment, a person can learn to manage their symptoms and regain control over their thoughts and communication.
How are thought disorders diagnosed?
Thought disorders are diagnosed by a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or a psychologist, through a comprehensive mental health evaluation. The clinician will listen to the person’s speech, observe their thought patterns, and gather information from family members to make an accurate diagnosis.
What is the difference between tangential and circumstantial speech?
A person with circumstantial speech will go off on a tangent but eventually come back to the original point. A person with tangential speech will abruptly change the subject and never return to the original topic.
How can I help a loved one with a thought disorder?
The best way to help a loved one is to encourage them to seek professional help from a qualified mental health expert. It is important to be patient, compassionate, and non-judgmental and to understand that the person’s behavior is a symptom of their condition.
What is an illogical thought process?
An illogical thought process is a type of disorganized thinking where a person’s thoughts and speech do not follow a rational or reasonable pattern. It can make it difficult for a person to communicate their ideas and for others to understand them.